Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams Jr.
Hank Williams Jr.
	Williams in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Randall Hank Williams
Also known as	Bocephus; Rockin' Randall; Wham Bam Sam; Luke the Drifter Jr.; Thunderhead Hawkins;
Born	May 26, 1949 (age 75); Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres	Country rock; southern rock; outlaw country; blues rock; rock and roll;
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter; musician;
Instrument(s)	Vocals; guitar; banjo; piano; keyboards; harmonica; fiddle; drums;
Years active	1963–present
Labels	MGM; Warner Bros.; Curb; Bocephus; NASH Icon;
Spouse(s)	Gwen Yeargin (m. 1971; div. 1977) Becky White (m. 1977; div. 1983) Mary Jane Thomas (m. 1990; died 2022)
Website	hankjr.com
Children	5, including Hank Williams III and Holly Williams

Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style has been described as a blend of rock, blues, and country. He is the son of country musician Hank Williams and the father of musicians Holly Williams and Hank Williams III, and the grandfather of Coleman Williams. He is also the half brother of Jett Williams.

Williams began his career following in his famed father's footsteps, covering his father's songs and imitating his father's style. Williams' first television appearance was in a December 1963 episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, in which at age fourteen he sang several songs associated with his father. Later that year, he was a guest star on Shindig!^[1]

As Williams struggled to define his own voice and place within the country music genre, his style began slowly to evolve. His career was interrupted by a near-fatal fall while Williams was climbing Ajax Peak in Montana on August 8, 1975.^[2]^[3] After an extended recovery, he rebuilt his career in the country rock scene.^[4] As a multi-instrumentalist, Williams' repertoire of musical instrument skills includes guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, steel guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica, fiddle, and drums.^[5] In 2020, Williams Jr. was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.^[6]

^ "Hank Williams, Jr". IMDb. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
^ Buchalter, Gail (October 22, 1979). "Hank Williams Jr. Fell Down a Mountain and Lived Now He's Climbing High on the C&w Charts". People. 12 (17). Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
^ "The Fall". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
^ Cite error: The named reference Burns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Hank Williams Jr. – Official Website". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
^ Paulson, Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave. "Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon to enter the Country Music Hall of Fame". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

[1] "Hank Williams, Jr". IMDb. Retrieved August 8, 2018.

[People-2] Buchalter, Gail (October 22, 1979). "Hank Williams Jr. Fell Down a Mountain and Lived Now He's Climbing High on the C&w Charts". People. 12 (17). Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2013.

[TheFall-3] "The Fall". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2013.

[Burns-4] Cite error: The named reference Burns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[autogenerated1-5] "Hank Williams Jr. – Official Website". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

[Paulson-6] Paulson, Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave. "Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon to enter the Country Music Hall of Fame". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

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